Sleeping with Nymphs
by goosenwater
Summary: AU: Lukas, a painter; Berwald and Mathias, writers; Tino, a messenger. The writer brothers went on an inspiration- seeking journey in Denmark, leaving Lukas, the youngest of the three back in their house in Icelandic woods with an adopted boy, Emil. The only way of contact was through a cheerful messenger named Tino.


**Hello! Nice to meet you, I'm Goosenwater! **

** This fanfic is basically an AU where nor is a painter (w/ Ice) and sve and den are writers. Creative brothers lol. Oh yes and Finland as a messenger too. **

** Well, this is my first fanfiction here, so please be kind! **

** I don't own Hetalia.**

* * *

Maybe it was exhaustion, maybe just a sore,

but so close to frustration.

It was a cold, stormy night.

He could hear branches of trees rustling as the wind scream. He wondered what was happening outside but had given up finding out since all windows are covered with flakes.

Lukas lit up another candle; its yellowish light lit the whole room, dark shadows on the ground with silhouettes looking like petals of chrysanthemum. The young man returned to his mahogany chair, putting his scarf around his neck. Lukas could felt the cold running in his bones. While his eyes felt like they're burning.

For a moment, he bent back looking at the door behind; deep inside, hoping he would hear knocks.

The young man smile at the slightest at his meaningless hope. He was alone in this house. He felt a little lonely since apart from the raging storm outside, the house was flawlessly in silence. He's in his own house but he felt as if he's alone in the ticket, old whitish- clothes and picture in frames hanging down like trees and snow of Icelandic woods.

He used to ask himself why he has been living in such place. So lonely, yet so placid and tranquil. He remembered he had asked his brothers, and they said it's better not to be involved with various social routines and better be isolated from the rest of the world. But that was all and it didn't explain nor are precise.

Taking another breath and a sigh, he dips the tip of the brush in the small jar of water on the table. Old- dried blue paint with slight shade of azure came back to life, spreading through clear yellowish water like snow melting in to autumn's river. With all of his concentration and trying his best to ignore the sound of storm, Lukas carefully dip his tool into a pigment tablet of sepia, drew a precise line across the thick sheet of pale paper. The gradient paint was wet and the paper swells. He motioned and shifted his brush several more times and half of the woodland appears on the left his sheet. Unfinished rough sketch of someone on other side.

Lukas stared at the light pencil trace for a long pause.

Too quickly, he drops his brush back into the jar and left it there. The windows tremble and shake from the violent wind as well as his conscious whirling in his tremulous head. He could no longer think straight and this room lit with candle lights felt too cold for him. Lukas wipes his hand, then his face. He can't keep on drawing with too much disturbance.

Lukas searched around his table before he found what he was looking for. He held up a small bottle he had put it nearby, and drink the thing inside in one gulp. Shutting his heavy eye lids, his somnolent mind brought him to his old days.

_ It was also a cold, stormy night._

_ But it was warm inside._

_ Behind the wooden door on the second floor of the small timber house, Berwald and Mathias were spending their time in their tiny book room as always. It was already late at night and their little brother should be asleep so the older ones could have time of their own. The brothers love to read, and they love sweet scent of Scandinavian wood of this small room. _

_They were on their discussion about how differently each Norse Mythology was written, each held thick mythology in his hand. They could just speak normally since there were barriers and walls and doors in between but they were whispering in their softest voice. Their discussion can be pretty, well, a little too loud, and they didn't want to risk waking up the little one sleeping in another room. _

_ But there comes a soft knocks on the door. _

_ Mathias gestured to Berwald, put his book down, and walked to the door. He opened it and found his little brother standing there. The little boy with hair down to his shoulder looks up to him with dull eyes. _

_ "Can I help you with anything, sweetie?" Mathias smile, rubbing the boy's head. Oh, Lukas was just as tall as his hip so he bent down so that his face and his little boy's could be at the same level. The boy just look at Berwald behind, and then at him._

_ In other hand, Mathias was slightly surprised how harsh the storm during that night was. He was in the book room all the time and it was quite quiet and placid there, so after he had opened the door, he just realized the violent blizzard. _

_ Mathias looks at Lukas and observes him for a little while. Then he turned back and gestured a good- night to Berwald which nod in return. Mathias held Lukas' hand and left the room. _

_Berwald closed the book he was reading and put the book Mathias laid on the floor back to where it should be. Berwald knew and understand that sometimes, Lukas, his little brother, has things that he would only tell Mathias, the oldest of the three. Berwald then search for another book from the shelves and continue his reading._

_ After Mathias had brought Lukas back to the bed room, he put the cover over the boy and sat in the chair next to the little boy's bed causally. Well, he had to admit that the corridor was quite scary during such stormy night. The thunder's rumble was no soothing croon but sharp roars. _

_With candle in the room lit up once again, and another he held in his hand, Mathias looked at the boy and slowly rubbing Lukas' head to calm the boy. There was a sudden lighting following with a harsh thunder. Then a misplaced serene silent._

_"Ah, its fine, Luke." He told the boy calmly. _

_ Little Lukas held Mathias' hand, little childish voice spoke slowly. "The storm," _

_ Mathias looked at him and whispered to the boy softly, felt the little palm in his tremble. "You're afraid..?" _

_Lukas just holds his hand a little tighter._

_Mathias pause, a gentle smile slowly spread through his face, "What if I stay here with you tonight then?" _

_The little boy just nod slightly in his bed._

* * *

It was a cold Sunday.

Lukas adjusted his brother's tie, making sure it is positioned in the most 'proper' fashion. Then he bent down a little, checking that all the buttons are in the right places. Lukas' hair fell down covering one of his somnolent eyes, and Mathias brushed the boy's hair back behind.

"This should be enough," Lukas finally commented after a long session of adjusting and checking Mathias' finest clothes. A little exhausted since he had slept with sitting position last night, since he felt asleep when he was drawing.

His older brother was in appealing, elegant formal clothes. To be candid, a quite- uncharacteristically- too- formal one. White inside, and a velvet fabric with delicate golden buttons as the outer layer. The garment was exquisite.

"Oh, well, I look_ gorgeous_." Mathias was as delightful as his usual self.

Lukas rolled his eyes.

"Oh, well, yes, I am _marvelous _like always anyway, so…."

"Quit it."

"Aw, don't be so cold." Then he smiled the way everything was brightening up.

"Talking about cold, I'm pretty certain that today's air will be freezing." Make sure not to get sick. This is the actual meaning.

"I am grand, Lukas."

Lukas didn't mind to response to the sentence. He glanced up at Mathias' face; saw his collar a little out of place, so he believed he should alter it a little. But he paused his delicate hands when he was about to fix the collar of his brother's. Mathias looked down to him quietly.

A minute passed.

Before Mathias decided to speak anything, he realized that Lukas looked a little…. Well, embarrassed. Spray of maroon hue on his pale cheeks.

Lukas looked up again, but he avoided looking at Mathias in the eyes, like usual, yes. After the collar was perfect, he rumbled through his bag. Then he carefully pulled a Heather. Lukas deliberately positioned that little blue- red- ish flower a little above the pocket on the outer garment of Mathias near the just- fixed collar.

Mathias stared at that artificial piece of art silently. Then he smiled, Lukas thought he sensed a slightest hint of sorrow and nostalgia, but then it was gone.

"I suppose I should keep that. Man, since it's made of fabric, will I also have to wash that?" Then he laughed with his usual humor. Mathias carefully touched the flower, realized how well- made it was. "You made this?"

"Just keep it."

Mathias smirks a little at that fact that Lukas still hasn't yet looked up to him since he had given him the flower. Well, that's another sweet little thing. "Lukas, look here, I think my collar flipped again," Mathias spoke with a hint of tease.

With a little irritated noise Lukas had made, he looked up at the collar, finding the flaw.

Mathias bent down, held Lukas' cheeks with both of his hands, his blue eyes staring right into the boy's amethyst pairs. Lukas didn't say a word. Mathias pressed the softest kiss he could- and the one, the sweetest one anyone could have imagined on Lukas' nose bridge. The boy blushed, but his face blank.

They stayed there, looking at each other's face for, no one knows how long.

Lukas slowly shut his eye lids, his arm around Mathias' neck. Slight hesitation but then he gave Mathias a sincere kiss on the lips. When they broke off, Mathias can't just let his eyes look another way. Lukas, whose eyes still closed like he wanted to keep and recall those taste and the touches to him as long as possible, _oh_ so beautiful. His emotionless features and half- lidded eyes resembled a sleeping nymph in stories they once had read in their childhood.

* * *

Berwald checked his garments in mirror twice since he still wasn't that certain that his formal clothes are worn in the correct way. It should be a routine by now for wearing one of these, but since moved to live here, no invitation ever replied.

Finally satisfied what he saw, Berwald put on his cross shaped necklace and hid in under the collar. He wore it all the time, but it was just hidden under his layers of clothes.

He walked around his room, making sure everything is in their places. Once he left here to Denmark, it will be long before the next return. (And many things will sure happened during that time, yes)

Berwald looked through his bookshelf, pulling couples of his favorite books out and added them to his package he will later brought it there with him.

Then something fell out from the most inside part of the shelf.

An almanac, no, a photography album. Black and white, and old.

Berwald picked it up and observed the cover roughly. It was sepia and so familiar. The first picture inside is a photograph of Lukas when he was so young, like when he was just 5, sleeping. Berwald, a little surprised and wondered why haven't he found this album long ago since it seemed to be laid there for a while.

It was there for who knows how long, abandoned, yes.

It was a heavy volume, but rethinking about it, Berwald found it's a nice little piece of memories so he packed it in to his bag.

* * *

"I will return as soon as possible, okay?" Mathias smile and careless the boy's cheeks, then hair "Just once Berwald's and mine are published, won't take long."

Then another small peck by Lukas.

Clock ticked by a few dozen times.

"Just for you to know, you're my inspiration, too, Lukas."

No words. Another kiss for a leaving Mathias.

The boy always wasn't a very talkative one.

Familiar weather, like always. Once they stepped out of the door, they could see their own breath changing into white even before be able to feel the cold on their skin. One first step out, they felt like their blood froze, but familiar as they were, they continued to walk.

The landscape was simply white.

Berwald hugged Lukas and Emil as a goodbye, for now. Mathias did the same thing.

They unfolded the map, making sure they're heading in the correct direction to the coast to get into the ship waiting there.

They started walking despite the chill.

Lukas held Emil's hand and followed.

Silence.

"You don't have to follow." Said Berwald.

"We don't want to depart you here." Lukas answered. "You can't promise when you'll return."

Emil nodded in agreement with Lukas.

Mathias smile tenderly just saying "Make sure not to get sick after we left."

They reached the small harbor near the shore after a long walk. The ship the brothers booked waiting.

* * *

**Thank you! Ice and Fin will be showing up soon! I will update more soon! I think…**

**Revisers are very welcomed! Please message me if you're gonna help (;v;)**

** Thanks again !**

**Please follow for future updates !**


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